


Let It Pour

by LeoBananaPhone0829



Series: The Misadventures of the Rest of The 694th Battalion [4]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: 694th Battalion, Canon-Typical Violence, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Felucia is a shitty planet, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:36:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27615650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeoBananaPhone0829/pseuds/LeoBananaPhone0829
Summary: She lets the datapad clatter to the durasteel table, pinching the bridge of her nose with a heavy sigh, "Felucia."Ven picks up the pad and scrolls through the orders, "The meat grinder." Of course, they would send them to that shit planet."We don't have the numbers for Felucia." Clove tells them, "Are they trying to finish us off? It'd be easier to decommission us instead."
Relationships: Original Clone Trooper Character(s) & Original Female Character(s)
Series: The Misadventures of the Rest of The 694th Battalion [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1913815
Comments: 7
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This one got away from me so it will be posted in two parts! Enjoy! Leave me some feedback!

She lets the datapad clatter to the durasteel table, pinching the bridge of her nose with a heavy sigh, "Felucia." 

Ven picks up the pad and scrolls through the orders, "The meat grinder." Of course, they would send them to that shit planet. 

"We don't have the numbers for Felucia." Clove tells them, "Are they trying to finish us off? It'd be easier to decommission us instead." 

Ven watches Cerez carefully, her eyes are closed, and her clasped hands are pressed against her forehead. There's chatter all around the briefing room, the medics and squad leaders babble nervously to each other. Smidge shifts uncomfortably beside her, "Felucia eats shinies alive. Literally." He says to Sage, his voice is grim. 

Her eyes flash open and her hands smack against the steel of the table when she stands, "I am not losing one man on this mission. Our only goal is to get everyone off of that hellscape alive and in one piece. Do you understand?" 

Ven hasn't seen this side of her yet, there's a fire in her cybernetic eyes, something that tells him that she won't take any other outcome. This is why she was given this command. Everyone has gone silent, staring at her with wide eyes, "Forty men hit the ground, and forty come back."

"Yea? And how exactly are you planning on keeping all of us alive?" Bay argues with her. 

"We leave tomorrow at 1300. That gives us enough time for not only a mission briefing but for a briefing on the planet's fauna and flora as well. The more information each squad has the better the chance of survival. Nobody goes off alone, you move in squads at all times, doesn't matter what you're doing. We need eyes in every direction. No one leaves base camp after sunset unless it's ordered? Am I clear?" The question rings through the room. 

"Sir, yes sir!" A chorus of voices answers her.

"You're dismissed, I want everyone to get some rest." She sits back down as everyone walks out, the fight leaving her with a sigh. 

Ven stands opposite her, "You sure it'll work?" He braces himself against the table.

She looks up at him, "I hope so."

\------------------------

The humid, stagnant air engulfs her as soon as her boots hit the mud. A frustrated sigh escapes her when she pulls against the suction of the mud, "Would it kill them to get us some decent gear?" She mutters.

When Clove walks by he shoves a canteen at her, "You don't have enviro controls like we do. You'll need a lot more water." The lead medic tells her. She clips it to her utility belt, "Let me know if you get lightheaded or dizzy. Heatstroke out here ain't something to mess with."

Ven moves to stand next to her, his voice hard, "Let's get to central command."

\------------------------

Her goggled eyes carefully scan through the tree line, her fingers twitch near her DC-17s before she adjusts the strap of her rifle. Ven checks his gear one more time before speaking, "Recon mission. We get in, scout, get out. Nothing we haven't done before." He addresses the squads. He turns to Cerez, "I want you with Bay's squad. They're covering a valley, they could use the extra eyes." 

She nods and steps to where Bay's squad is checking weapons and gear once more. The Sargent gives her a sideways glance, "Lieutenant." His voice is harsh and cold. She takes a deep breath. Bay and his squad haven't adjusted well to the new command structure, he still sees her as an outsider. She understands completely, she isn't one of his brothers or a Jedi, she was just there. 

"Let's move out!" Ven's voice sounds out. 

The squad is silent as they make their way through the jungle, the insects and animals scream around them, the noise boring into her skull. 

She slips her rifle off of her shoulder and brings the scope up to her eye, scanning through the trees. She quickly realizes that she needs a higher vantage point to really get a decent look, she straps the rifle across her shoulder before picking a fungus tree just a bit taller than the rest. She secures her pack before placing her foot on the bottom branch. 

"Hey! What d'ya think you're doing?!" Bay's harsh modulated voice cuts through the silence. 

"We're entering the valley. I can't get a good look from the ground level, gotta get up higher." She tells him as she climbs. "We need to make sure we aren't walking into anything." 

"That's my call, get back down here." He points to the ground. 

When she's about halfway up she pulls the scope off of her rifle and brings it to her eye, "Your gear weighs what 40 kilos alone? Not to mention you're almost two meters, you'd snap these branches and end up killing yourself." She lowers the scope, "I gotta get higher," She continues her climb of the fungus tree.

"Get down here!" Bay calls from the ground. 

She clicks on her comm, "Sargent, stop yelling. This is a recon mission?" Her voice is distracted as she looks through her scope, "I've got movement, four and a half klicks east. Looks like heavy machinery." She relays, "Tanks for sure." She watches as trees fall in the distance. "We need to get closer to get numbers." She snaps her scope back into place before she climbs down the tree, when her boots touch the mud she turns, "Lead the way, Sargent."

\------------------------

Ven trudges through the swamp, swatting at a cloud of bugs that threaten to swarm his HUD. 

"How ya doin back there, Shinies?" Sage asks his newest squad members, he gets a chorus of groans as his answer. 

"Have we gotten an update on Lieutenant Cerez's squad yet?" Pep asks. 

"Why, you worried about her?" Card nudges him with his elbow. 

It has been some time since she checked in, now that he thinks about it. He activates his com, "Spooks, check-in. It's been a while." 

He gets static before she answers, _"We're tracking a company of droids to the east. We're trying to see where their base is set up. Once we get visual confirmation we'll turn back."_

"Good, don't engage and turn back before nightfall if you can't find it. Clove and Tyme's squad can always take over on speeders tonight." He tells her. 

_"Not a problem, Lieutenant. We'll let you know if anything comes up. Spooks out."_ She cuts the line. 

"Sounds like they're having all the fun." Card jokes. 

"At least they aren't wading through swamp water," Enlo mutters. 

"We'll go another klick. If there's nothing we'll go back to base, no use in wasting energy on swampland." Sage decides, "That alright with you, Ven?

Ven turns and sees Flap squirm in his peripheral, "Yea, that's fi-"

"THERE'S SOMETHING IN MY BOOT!!!" Flap all but screeches and climbs his twin, Flutter almost goes under before he finds his footing. Flap continues to scream as he wrenches his boot off and water pours out of it. A shellfish like creature falls out and plops into the water. 

Flap tugs his boot back on and he climbs off of his brother's back.

"Tell me, vod. And you're not in trouble, I just want to know," Sage raises his hands to show that he means no harm, "Why weren't your blacks sealed?" 

Flap looks down into the swamp water and then he focuses on a tree a ways away, "There's a hole, sir." His voice squeaks a bit. 

Ven sighs before Sage continues, "Where's the hole? How did it get there? And were you injured at all?" 

"The back of my knee, I was helping one of the mechanics and a piece of metal must have cut them." Flap explains. 

Ven tries not to think about the diseases that are in this water with them, they can take out healthy troopers within twelve hours, he can only imagine how they'll thrive inside of a cut. 

"Were you cut?" Sage asks. 

"No, I wasn't sir." The squad breathes in relief, that's the last thing he needs, to come back with a sick Shiny, Cerez would have his ass mounted on the wall. 

"Alright, let's head back to base, I don't need you running around without a sealed set of armor," Sage announces before dramatically turning around and slogging back through the swamp.

\---------------

She takes another look through her scope to confirm what she's seeing, "There's a projectile, it almost looks like a mag pulse buster, just on a much larger scale." She talks into her comm. 

"I'll relay to base. Can you see anything else?" Bay asks. 

She focuses in a little further, watching the droids mill about, "Some of them look like they are about to lose power, we have to be close to their base. Clove and Tyme's squad can pick up where we left off. Ven wanted us back before nightfall."

"Everyone pack it up, we're goin' home!" Bay's voice shouts from below, the echoes traveling up to her. She places her scope back in place before sliding down the tree, picking up her pack from the base. It's darker under the tree cover and with the waning sun, she can understand why Ven wanted them back so early. 

The march back to base is long and humid. She drains her canteen, clipping it back to her belt. "Here, you need it more than I do," Jumper holds out his canteen to her, she gives him a questioning look, "Come on, you're sweatin' buckets. Drink some more." She takes it from him and takes a long sip before trying to hand it back to her, "More." He simply commands. She takes another drink and this time he takes it when she hands it back. "Don't need you passin' out." He tells her, she knows he has a smile under his bucket.

Her comm beeps, _"Lieutenant Cerez, check-in."_ Ven's voice crackles to life. 

"We're heading back to base. I'll give a full report on what we found when we get back. Cerez out." She relays to him.

 _"Good, see you then. Ven out."_ He almost sounded relieved that they were on their way back, she takes a lungful of humid air and lets her head tip back, looking through the canopy. 

"There's a storm rolling in, pick up the pace!" Bay calls back, doubling his efforts. 

\-----------------------

Ven crosses his arms as she walks around the holo table, marking and pointing out troop movements to the Major. She looks how he would imagine the ghosts look in children's storybooks, the blue glow gives her grey skin a deathly shade, her eyes shadowed and empty. Clove steps forward, quietly asking questions and nodding. 

"You smell like ass." Tyme whispers to him, nudging him with his prosthetic. 

"Watch the elbow, that bitch hurts. You'd smell like ass too if you waded through Felucian swamp for twelve hours." He mutters back. 

"Tyme, your squad will flank them from the south on speeders, Clove the north." She points to an area on the map, "The base should be in this area. They started shifting north when we last saw them. If you find the base comm Major Olden with as many details as possible. Is that clear?" 

Tyme clears his throat, "Yes, sir." 

"There's a storm coming in, so be careful out there, please. Both of you." She gives Clove and Tyme a pointed look, "You're dismissed." 

She braces herself against the holo table once they leave, the Major making small talk with her. "Go get some rest, tonight's gonna be rough." He tells her. She gives him a tired smile, 

She sighs, nodding before she pushes off the table, walking past him. "Don't hesitate to call me if you need me, sir." 

When he follows her out of the tent he almost runs straight into her, her head is tilted back to the sky as she watches the clouds roll in with the last rays of the sun, she looks over her shoulder, "Sorry, Lieutenant. I'll get out of your way." She dips her head and scurries off without another word. 

He's noticed that she does that with almost everyone like she's afraid of being reprimanded if she does the wrong thing. And she always uses rank, no matter who she's talking to. 

Lightning cracks across the sky, the first few raindrops fall onto his visor and he sighs before jogging towards the mess tent. 

\--------------------

She stares at the canvas of the tent above her, listening to the wind howl outside. She's worried about Clove and Tyme's squads. They have to navigate the storm and chase down a company of droids with a weapon they've never seen before, at least they're on speeders and not on foot. 

She turns over and squints to see Sage sleeping only to find his eyes wide open and already starting at her, she almost screams "Maker, what the hell are you doing?" Her harsh whisper is almost drowned out by a clap of thunder. 

"You're worrying. Stop. Go to sleep." He tells her. 

"You go to sleep." She shoots back. 

"Both of you go to sleep." Ven's deadpan voice is loud compared to their whispers. 

She turns away from Sage and faces the wall of the tent, taking a cleansing breath as she listens to the rain. "Like white noise," She whispers to herself. "They're fine. It's fine." 

\---------------------

Ven listens as her breathing finally evens out, the rain slowly tapering off, the thunder becoming more and more distant. He's surprised she stayed awake this long in the first place, he was designed for sleep deprivation, trained to work under those conditions. 

Just as he can see the sky turn light and he starts to doze off, their comms start to blare. Spooks and Sage shoot up, scrambling for theirs, Bay groans and rubs a hand down his face but reaches for his as well. "Lieutenant Cerez," She answers. 

_"Your boys are reporting movement near the edge of the base, they've been tracking two and a half companies. The storm finally cleared enough for them to comm it in. You need to get ready."_ Major Olden's voice has a nervous edge to it. 

In this movement, she's glad for the other battalion stationed with them, they would need the help. She stands, immediately pulling on her field uniform and armor, she clears her throat as she fastens on her chest plate, "Alright, men!" Her voice carries through the tent and Sage and Bay's squad come to life, some of them scrambling for their armor, others blinking slowly, trying to gauge the situation first, "We have two and a half companies, Tyme and Clove tracked them to the perimeter of the base." She briefs as she finishes dressing, checking her weapons, and tugging her comm headset on. "They have a projectile we haven't seen yet, we don't know what it does, so be prepared for anything." She slings her rifle over her shoulder and motions to Ven and Bay. "Get them prepared, I'm going to central command. I'll see you out there." 

Ven nods and turns to the others as she jogs out of the tent, "You heard 'er. Get moving!" Anxiety fills the air, he knows exactly why, this is the first time the whole platoon has seen any kind of combat since, sure Sage's squad had the short mission to repair equipment, but that was a handful of droids, not three hundred. 

Bay stands next to him, silent and ever-present, he was always the strongest of the batch, able to go through anything and not blink. His squad gathers by him, checking weapons before he motions for them to move. 

"Look alive, Shinies. This'll be fun!" Sage tries to amp up the newest members of his squad. Pep and Flutter have white knuckle grips on their DC-15s, he can't see their faces but he knows they're jittery. Flap and Card talk and jab at each other, clearly ready for some action. Smidge just tightens the straps of his medpack and looks between his brothers. Sage makes his way over to Ven, "No casualties. We all come back in one piece." He reminds him. 

Ven takes a deep breath, "Everyone comes back! Orders straight from Spooks herself. You wanna disobey her?" 

He gets a chorus of "No sir!" 

"Alright, let's move out!" 

\----------------------

She stands, listening to the sound of metal on metal as the droids move in, everyone has taken their places, behind trees or equipment, the rain beating down around them, they wait for the signal from the General or her padawan. The boy fidgets restlessly, he can't be older than 14 standard years, he rolls his saber from hand to hand as he stares out into the rain. She's aware of her own saber strapped to her belt. His master places a four-fingered hand on his shoulder, she must be Arkanian, if the white hair and eyes weren't enough. He seems to relax ever so slightly. 

Pep shifts next to her, she reaches out and places a hand on his crouched knee, trying to calm him, she can feel the anxiety dripping off of him. He hesitates for a moment before he grasps her wrist, avoiding the pistol in her hand. The piece of equipment they're hiding behind is large and boxy, completely covering them from the fire that will be there soon. 

She looks across the clearing to Ven and Bay's squad, they're coiled tight, ready to spring into action. 

The first of the droids appear over the horizon and the Jedi activate their sabers in sync, "Get ready," Cerez mumbles to Pep, "Take a deep breath, once it starts you'll forget to breathe." She tells him. She can hear his shaky breath through her comm, she taps his knee before she aims both of her pistols at the approaching droids, "They should fire any second now. They want the Jedi, not us." 

She can hear the tinny voice of the B1 commander scream, "Fire!" The barrage of red blaster fire bears on them and she snaps into action, pulling the triggers over and over again, she lets her mind go blank, focusing only on the field in front of her.

The first wave passes and she looks over at Pep, "You okay?" She asks. 

He looks between her and his batchmates, Card is still ready, finger on the trigger, Flap and Flutter are pressed shoulder to shoulder, Smidge has disappeared to help a trooper in light blue, one of the generals men. Pep nods, "I'm alright." 

"The second wave will be worse, they didn't have their tanks for the first wave, I'm not sure why exactly." She looks to the droids, now flanked with their tanks. 

After a beat of silence, it starts again, this time with rockets thrown in. She ducks down when one gets too close, Card shielding her from most of the shrapnel and debris, "We gotta get you a bucket, LT!" Sage calls with a laugh. 

Oli pops up next to her, letting off a volley of shots with his Z-6, taking down almost a full squad in one go. 

_"One of the tanks is heavily guarded. We're moving in to take a closer look."_ Ven tells her. 

"Be careful." She replies, laying down cover fire as they move. The rest of the droids seem to fall back a bit, letting the tank and its escort move further up. "Ven! Fall back, somethings not-" She calls into her comm. 

It's already too late, the tank fires, "BRACE!!" The word echoes through her head as she hits the ground, everything fading to black.  
\--------------------

"Shit! LT is down, Spooks is down!" Sage tries to call into his comm as his visor blinks out. He rips his bucket off, leaving it in the mud as he runs to her position, mud plasters her face and clothes, the rain splattering against her goggles, none of her limbs are bent at any odd angles but that doesn't mean she's okay. "Medic!" He calls. 

The droids have retreated, blaster bolts taper off, leaving the field in a strange silence, the rain the only thing to be heard. 

Clove and Smidge are there in a matter of moments, "I think it was an EMP device. I don't know how long it will last." The bend over her, feeling for any broken bones, when they lift her eyelids, her cybernetics stare back at them, blank and dull. Clove takes off her chest plate and rubs at her sternum, "Lieutenant Cerez, can you hear me?" 

"Her pulse is strong, the impact probably just knocked her out. We should give her a few minutes. I'll stay here, go check on Tyme's squad." Smidge tells Clove. 

Clove gives him a look before he stands, "I give the orders." He pokes his chest plate. 

"Sorry, sir. Won't happen again." Smidge turns his attention back to the woman. He fiddles with his scanner before he drops it back in his bag, "Well, that's useless." 

Sage looks at her, and crouches down next to her, taking a cloth out of his belt pouch, "Let's get some of that mud off," He gently drags the cloth over her face as best he can, wiping at the mud there. She whimpers and tries to squirm away. 

Smidge leans over her, "LT, can you hear me?" He asks. 

\----------------------

Her back hurts, her head hurts, the cold rain pelts her face, something rough is wiping at her cheek, she tries to squirm away. "LT, can you hear me?" A distant voice asks. 

She flexes her fingers, digging them into the cool mud, then wiggles her toes in her boots. She nods her head, a groan slipping from her. She squeezes her eyes shut tighter, and tries to shake off the pain. 

"Open your eyes for me." The voice says. 

She blinks them open, expecting to see the canopy and rain stained glass, but it's still black. She tries again, blinking and squeezing them shut, but there's still nothing when she opens them, "I can't- I can't." She wants to sit up but a hand is on her shoulder, holding her down. 

"Relax, relax." A new voice tells her, Sage. She thinks it's Sage holding her still. 

"I can't see." She finally gets out. 

She feels someone crouch next to her, "Tyme is having the same issues with his prosthetic. That weapon must have knocked their interfaces out. This isn't something we can fix down here. But we also can't get back at the moment. We're sitting ducks, not even our blasters are working properly." 

She reaches out and someone grabs her hand, helping her sit up slowly, "Just sit tight for a sec. I'm gonna go get Ven." Sage tells her, "Make sure she stays okay!" He shouts as he runs off. 

Someone takes his place, nervousness bleeds from everyone around her. "It's alright. I'm okay." She tries to tell them. A wave of vertigo hits her and she sways.

"You wanna lay back down?" The voice is quiet, Pep or Flutter maybe? Clocks? She nods and whoever it is helps her lay back down, "Just relax. Ven will be here soon."

\-----------------------

"She's blind?" He asks frustrated. None of their equipment is functioning correctly, Tyme can't move his arm, they have eight wounded bad enough to spend the night in a med tent or even be transferred up to the med station and now his second in command can't see. 

"Whatever that was, it fried the interface. Until we can get her off the ground, she'll be blind." Clove explains. 

Ven wants to scream, he just wants one thing to go right, just one. He sighs tiredly, "Alright, make sure she gets looked at. I'll work on getting off this hell hole." 

Clove turns on his heel and moves back to the group of troopers huddled around the body still lying in the mud. 

Bay and Tyme move to Ven's side, Tyme's arm hangs limply at his side, he swings it back and forth, knocking Bay in the stomach, Tyme cackling when Bay doubles over. 

"Don't make me leave you two here," Ven grumbles. 

\------------------------

"Alright, take a step back and we'll get her on her feet." Clove orders, motioning for Sage to help her up. Pep steps back but Clocks hovers closely still, "Clocks, step back." Clove tells him again. 

"No, she'll fall." Clocks tries to argue. 

"Ready?" Clove asks her. 

She sways when she sits up, "I don't feel well." 

Clove knows what that means, as soon as she stands she'll empty her stomach onto their boots, it happens every time, "That's alright, we have to get you out of this mud pit before it eats you alive." Clove jokes. "Clocks step back, vod. Trust me." Sage and Clove pull her to her feet, stepping to the side as she groans, "How're you feeling?" He asks. 

"Like I'm gonna hurl." Her words are slurred. 

Clocks tries to move in time but his boots are splattered in bile as she doubles over, "That's why you needed to step back." Clove deadpans. Clocks just grimaces at his boots. 

"Sorry," She mumbles, her voice scratchy from stomach acid. 

"That's alright, happens more than you think. Can you walk?" Clove asks. She nods weakly, "Sage and I'll get you to the med tent, okay? Ven will meet us there." 

Clove braces her between the two of them, she stumbles after a few steps and Sage scoops her up into a bridal carry, "I gotcha, just relax." He mumbles to her, tucking her head under his chin. She nods and her empty eyes stare off, unfocused. 

\-----------------------

When Ven walks into the med tent he didn't expect it to be this bad, the sick and wounded are everywhere, some laying in cots and others sitting off to the side in various states. A medic in light blue walks by him, "She's over there. After some meds, she's doing much better. Commander Shrike is keeping her company." The medic points towards where she's laying, the padawan sitting on the edge of her bed. 

He nods and makes his way over, he couldn't see the bandages over the kid's shoulder and up his neck before, the skin underneath the edges looks blistered and red, burns if he had to guess. 

Ven clears his throat, "Commander, Lieutenant." He addresses them both. 

"What does he look like?" Spooks asks the kid. 

"ARC trooper, his hair is longer on top." The boy whispers. 

"Oh! That's Ven. What can I do for you, sir?" She asks. 

The padawan grabs her head and shifts it so she's looking at Ven, "You tried, at least." The kid gets up, "I should go check on Master Issell." 

The kid walks off to the area in the corner of the tent that's blocked off with sheets, Ven turns to his second, he tries to think of something to say, her blank eyes stare ahead, she's not looking at him, she's looking through him. "Are you okay?" He blurts. 

"Yes, I was dizzy for a while but I think it's passed." She tells him. "Come. Sit. It's been a long day." She pats the edge of her cot, "I know you didn't sleep much." 

He sits at the edge of her bed, stiff, leaning as far away from her as he can. He's afraid he'll hurt her if he moves too fast. 

"From what I've heard they think it's an EMP weapon, right? The one we scoped out? That's what the Commander was discussing with me. He's concerned about our base further south. That's where a lot of the scanning equipment is, without that we would be in the dark on any and all of their movements." She says. 

He rubs a gloved hand over the stubble growing on his face, "They also have a significant amount of defenses unlike this base, this could have just been a test run." 

She blinks for a moment, "How many injured?" She asks. 

"Twelve not including you, five are stable enough to stay here in the tent, but three need to be evaced to a med station as soon as possible, the others were minor cuts and burns. You and Tyme will be evaced after the others are sent up there. You aren't in any danger of dying, it's just more of an inconvenience." He tells her. 

She nods a small smile forming on her face, "I've been blind before, I can handle it for a few days. I might need some help getting around." 

He wants to ask about what happened to her eyes in the first place, what caused the scarring that cuts across the skin. How long was she blind for? When did she get the cybernetics? He wants to know more, more about her and her life. He tries to push those thoughts away, smother them in tactics and strategy. He tries to bury the image of her smiling as she talks to him about her home planet. He has always found the nat-borns stories fascinating, even if he was extremely jealous of them. 

"I'll have a few men on rotation to help you. Do you think you can still meet with the Major and discuss our next steps?" He asks. 

"Of course, that won't be a problem. I can always listen in on comms if he wants you to go back out again. When I'm cleared I'll go chat with him." She smiles again, blinking.

A medic walks up to her cot, "Speaking of clearing, I just need to wrap your eyes, and then you'll be free to go." 

She smiles in his direction, "Will you excuse us please, Luitenant?" She asks kindly. 

Ven nods and stands, making his way out of the tent. He tucks his helmet under his arm and tips his head back, letting the rain drip down his face. 

\-----------------------

The medic wraps the cloth bandage around her head, the fabric is cool and soft against her face, familiar even though she's had her eyes for several years. "Alright, I'll flag someone down to get you to Major Olden, just sit tight for a sec." 

She forgot how loud everything becomes once her sight disappears, someone drops what sounds like a tray of instruments and she flinches at the metallic clattering. 

"A little jumpy there?" The voice next to her jokes. She's pretty sure his name was Aggy, at least that's what the Commander called him. 

"Alright, I found one of your guys. You're free to go. Be careful and come back if you get dizzy again." The medic tells her. 

She can feel whoever is there to escort her hovering closely. "Uh, it's just me, sir." The voice tells her, it's softer, polite, Flutter. 

"Flutter, it's good to see you." She thinks about that for a second, "Well not see you but _see_ you." She laughs. 

"Ven told me to take you to Major Olden, is that okay?" He asks. 

"Yes." She reaches out for him and he helps her up gently, one hand in hers, the other supporting her elbow. Once he's sure she won't fall, he loops his arm through hers and starts to walk her through the med tent. "How is the rest of your squad? Any injuries?" She asks. 

"Card has some bruises, a few cuts, but he was taken care of by Smidge. Everyone else is okay," He tells her. "It's still raining, just a heads up." He warns her as he guides her out of the tent. 

The rain hasn't let up, her boots slip in the mud and she clutches onto Flutter to keep from falling. He wraps his arm around her waist for a bit more stability as they walk through the base. She can hear people rushing around, trying to get everything repaired and back up, "How much was wiped out?" She asks him. 

"Pretty much everything on the east side. Weapons systems are down as well as communications. A few of us have gotten our armor back online but it's slow going. Flap volunteered to help out engineering, the others are helping where they can. Sargent Sage has taken up second in command while you're down. At least in the field." The trooper reports. 

She just nods. 

She hears Flutter pull back a tent flap and she ducks inside, "Ah, Lieutenant. It's good to see you back on your feet." Major Olden's voice booms. 

Flutter guides her to sit in a chair, "I'll be alright here, Flutter. You're dismissed." 

She turns to where she thinks the Major might be, "Tell me more about this weapon. What exactly was brought down?" 

"Weapons, comms, the troopers life support system, cybernetics, pretty much any equipment that runs on any standard interface. We managed to get ahold of one of the droids, they were programmed on a whole new frequency so the pulse wouldn't interfere. They stepped up their game." Major Olden sounds less stressed than she thought he would. 

"Interesting. My ARC trooper thinks that this base may have just been a test run. He thinks they are going to target the camp to the south. There's a whole slew of intel equipment there to track their movements. We should work on getting communications back so we can warn them." She tells him. 

"Agreed. I'll send a squad ahead to warn them as well. Hopefully, that will give them enough time." He sighs tiredly. "Other than that there isn't really anything else we can do until we get everything up and running again."

"Where would you like me, Sir?" She asks. 

"Resting. They told me you were thrown pretty far, spent some time unconscious. I can't have you running around until we know for sure that you aren't seriously injured. I'll get someone to take you back to your platoon's quarters." He slips back into his CO voice, it tells her not to argue with him. 

"Yes, sir." She nods.

\------------------------

"Commander Shrike, you wanted to see me?" Ven squares his shoulders, he is well aware of how he looks in the ARC armor, large, imposing, its one of the perks of ARC armor, the added bulk works wonders for the ego. 

"Yes, come in." The padawan calls. Ven steps into his tent, helmet under his arm, "I'm sending a squad to our base down south. I was wondering if you would join them? You will be working with Commander Turk and Captain Dash." The kid looks over a datapad. 

There's no way he's leaving his platoon under these circumstances. With Spooks and Tyme injured that leaves, Clove, Bay,and Sage to look after everyone. If something happens while he's away he knows Clove won't be available to help leaving Sage and Bay which isn't the best command option, "With all due respect, sir. I can't leave my platoon the way it is at the moment. My second is blind and my Sargent's are busy helping with repairs. Someone needs to be here just in case something happens." 

The kid looks up from his datapad, "Not the most ideal conditions, I understand, but I need an extra set of hands while the General is down. You are my most qualified option, you'll take the remaining speeders down to the base and help them prepare for any incoming attacks." 

He knows he can't disobey orders but he can't just leave them here, "Let me speak with Lieutenant Cerez before I leave. Inform her of what's happening. Then I'm all yours."

The Commander smiles, "Thank you, trooper. You are dismissed." 

With a stiff salute, Ven walks out and towards the command tent. He almost runs straight into Pep as he guides Spooks towards their designated tent, "I've got her. Go ahead and go back to what you were doing." He orders the kid. 

"Ven, is everything okay?" She asks as she reaches out for him, her fingertips skim his pauldrons and he shivers.

He swallows, "I'm being sent to the southern camp to warn them about the possible attack. Hopefully, I won't be gone that long, but if I am, I've put Sage in charge for now." 

"That's what Flutter said." Her fingers trace the seams in his chest plate and he swears he can feel her cold fingertips on his skin. "We'll be okay here. Just hurry and get back." She smiles a bit. 

He nods before cursing himself, she can't see him, "Keep them safe, Spooks." 

Her hand skates up his chest plate and her hand lays on his shoulder, "I will, but you have to come back to us. Promise?" She asks softly, it makes his stomach flip. 

"I promise." He tells her, catching her hand.

"We'll see you soon then. Good luck." She gives his hand a squeeze before releasing her. He turns and walks towards the other side of the base. 

\----------------------

"Ven?" She asks to the open air in front of her. "There's no way he just left me here." She laughs under her breath. She stands in the rain for a moment before she reaches out and her hand latches onto a passing arm.

"Can I help you with something, Ma'am?" The trooper asks. 

"Please send someone from the 694th my way. My ARC trooper left me hanging." Her voice is light with mirth. 

"Oh, of course. Let's get you out of the rain first." He says. He lets her hold onto his arm as he guides her out of the rain and under something, "I'll be right back, ma'am."

She smiles, "Thank you."

\-----------------------

As Ven runs through the briefing with the Commander and Captain he remembers and almost groans, _she's blind you di'kut. You left her in the rain._


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know why I write this much. Or how. To the three people who are keeping up with this series, yall are the shit.

She turns over again, sleeping has been useless, she can hear everything going on outside of the tent. The hard ground underneath her bedroll just gets worse and worse the longer she lays there. With a sigh she sits up, she can't just lay here while everyone runs around. 

"LT, I just wanted to check on you. You alright?" Someone asks, she has no idea who at this point. 

"Get me out of this tent, please." She groans, "Or shoot me."

"I'm not shooting you, Ven would kill me. I'm not even supposed to let you get up. Clove'll kill me if he finds out. That's two people. Though, I think I'm more afraid of Clove." He babbles, she can hear him moving through empty bedrolls as he approaches her. "But, if you're as bored as I am, then we can do something."

She stands slowly, just in case her head decides to swim. "Have we heard from Ven's squad at all?" She asks as she reaches out for the trooper, her fingers connect with cold durasteel, she should have figured it was Tyme.

"Not yet." He tells her, "Sage's squad is in the mess right now. Wanna go join them? Try and get your mind off everything?" 

She nods, reaching out to him, "Yeah, that'll work." She loops her arm through his as he steers her in the right direction. 

\-------------------------

Ven looks between the Commander and Captain, and then to the three troopers with them, they slink through the mushroom trees as they get closer to the base's defenses, "Keep an eye out." The Captain orders. 

He can't help when his mind shifts back to Cerez, watching her get thrown and laying limp in the mud, Gods, he thought she was dead for sure. 

_"Everything seems to be in order. No droids to be found."_ One of the others on the opposite side of the base relays. They're lucky that their comms work out here after Splash managed to fix them. 

"Alright, inform the Commander and General and then we will get back to base." Commander Turk orders. 

Ven lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding, he gets to get back to his platoon. 

"You worried, Lieutenant?" Kyr asks his tone light and teasing. 

"Just ready to get back." He shuts him down. 

"He's probably worried about that pretty little officer of his." Splash elbows Kyr. 

Ven doesn't know if they can hear the snarl through his vocoder but he hopes they do. 

"Enough, all of you. Let's get moving. The others will meet us back at the base. The rain is supposed to pick up again soon." Commander Turk informs them. 

More rain, great.

\-------------------------

A ration pack is placed in front of her, she reaches out, feeling for the little notch in the packaging before ripping it open and pulling the spork out, "What flavor is this or should I just guess?" She muses. 

"It's better as a surprise." Someone says with their mouth full. 

"Fine." She laughs. 

"You're pretty good at this whole being blind thing," Worm says.

"I spent a good five cycles without my eyes. Just like cleaning a blaster, you never really forget." She tells them. 

A hand is laid on her shoulder, "We'll get your eyes fixed soon." Flap tells her enthusiastically, "At least I hope." 

"That's not what you tell someone, Dumbass." Oli wacks what she guesses is the back of his head. 

"Enough you two." Sage gripes, none of them are in a good mood it seems. 

"Can we complain, Sarge?" Clocks asks. 

"Refer that question to the Lieutenant, please. She outranks me." Sage says. 

"Ma'am, we ask Sage if we can complain before we all complain about something. It's a ritual of sorts." Worm explains. 

"Can I go first?" She asks. 

Oli shakes her a bit, "Yeah, you can!" 

"The humidity sucks, it makes this horrible uniform stick to my skin." She says.

"That's all ya got? Come on." Sage slaps her pauldron. 

She sighs, "This planet sucks ass." She deadpans. 

"Hell yeah, it does!" Someone shouts from a few tables over. Laughter rings out and it brings a smile to her face. 

"Your turn Sarge," Enlo says. 

Sage clears his throat, "One of the fuckers in our tent snores. I don't know if it's Bay's squad or if it's one of you. I didn't get a lick of sleep last night." 

\------------------------------

The mushroom trees fly by as they ride back to base. _"I've got droids on my scanner. Three squads."_ Splash relays. Of course, there are droids out here. 

_"Take 'em out? Or leave 'em, Commander?"_ Kyr asks. 

_"Mine as well take 'em out. We're already here."_ Turk steers towards where the droids were spotted. 

Something in the back of Ven's mind tells him this isn't going to go well, why are they even out here? He lets his speeder slow down so he's at the back of the group, he wants to at least get a good look at what's coming before doing anything about it.

 _"No, make that four squads."_ There's confusion in Splash's voice, _"Wait, there's five!"_

"Commander we should leave them," Ven advises. If Splash got the initial number wrong that means there could easily be more. 

_"We need to see how many are actually out here."_ Commander Turk orders. 

The first few raindrops splatter against his visor, everything in him is telling him to turn away from the droids. Something deep in his chest, but he keeps going. 

_"Kyr, Splash, you're with me. Dash, you're with Ven. Split up and flank them,"_ Turk orders.

He jerks in the direction of Captain Dash, following him through dense underbrush. When he finally gets a visual he has to look again, three squads of commando droids, and four squads of a mix of B1s and B2s, a full platoon. 

One of the B1s spots them, "Clones! Open fire!" 

Diving off the speeder and into the underbrush probably wasn't the best idea but when the rocket launched from the B2 hits it just mere seconds after he hits the ground he decides maybe it was for the best. He groans as he tries to catch his breath and work through the pain radiating through his back and shoulder. 

_"You still with us, Ven?"_ Captain Dash asks, his voice bouncing around his pounding head. 

"Affirmative." He wheezes. 

_"Whenever you decide to get up we could use some help."_ Probably Kyr. 

He rolls to his hands and knees, coughing and wheezing before he finally gets to his feet. The droids are tight in formation, a well-aimed blast from a thermal detonator would take out a good chunk of them. He crouches digging through his pack before he finds one, his gloved hand closing around the explosive. Standing, he activates it and chucks it towards the droids, they turn and stare at it for a moment before it detonates. 

A pained sigh leaves his lips as he draws his pistols, something isn't right, his chest hurts too much for it just to be a broken rib. Spooks was gonna kill him. He aims and fires at the droids, gritting his teeth through the pain. He just has to get through these droids and get back to base where Clove and Smidge could fix him up. It'll be fine. 

As the last of the droids fall, he notices he's gasping for air, he clicks on his comm, "Commander, I'm hit." He groans. Spots danced across his eyes. 

_"Stay there, I'll come and get you."_ Commander Turk responds. 

His lungs burn as he collapses to his knees. He just needs to get back to base, back to Clove and Smidge and _her._

\-----------------------------

She paces outside the tent, it's all Flap will let her do, as he watches from the crate he has commandeered as a seat, "I'm sure they're fine." He tries to convince her. 

She turns to him with deadly accuracy for someone who's blind, "They're comms should be up by now, we should have got an update hours ago, something must have happened. I'm going to the command tent," She says, before turning in the right direction, walking straight into a piece of equipment, "Kriffin' hells. Can I get some help, please?" She deadpans. 

He jogs to her, looping his arm through hers, they've found that this was the easiest way to guide her around, it still looks professional enough and still keeps her relatively safe from any dangers. 

It's almost peaceful as he walks beside her, if it wasn't for their environment it might have even been fun, what do the nat-borns do, a Benduday stroll?

When they get to the tent he notices Sargents Bay, Sage, and Clove standing outside, they seem to be discussing something. "Excuse us." She mumbles to them as she walks into the tent, Flap lets her go when Sage motions for him to come closer. 

"Everything okay, Sarge?" Flap asks. 

"We were called down here, I'm not sure why, the Major was about to comm Spooks but looks like she beat him to it. Just keep on alert." Sage tells him. 

"Yes, sir. I'll let the others know." Flap tells him before turning and finding the rest of his squad

\------------------------

When he coughs blood splatters against his HUD. No, he can't die. Not like this, not so far away from them, he has to tell them goodbye. He promised them. He curls in on himself as another wave of pain washes over him. 

"Damnit! I can't get our comms to work." Splash growls, hitting the device against a tree. 

"Alright, calm down. We need to get him back to base. Dash and Ven's speeders were taken out by rockets, which leaves us with Splash's, Kyr's, and mine. Doubling up won't be a problem, the problem is him. None of our speeders are outfitted for a medic." Commander Turk looks over at him, "I don't know how much longer he'll be awake and I can't raise anyone on our comms." 

So that's it, they'll leave him here and he'll die alone in the Felucian jungle. 

"Splash, Kyr go with the Commander and see if you can get a signal out to base. See if you can get a medic out here. I'll stay with him." Captain Dash orders. 

The Captain moves into his field of vision, crouching in front of him and taking off his helmet, his eyes grow wide when he sees the blood dripping down his chin, "Hurry!" He calls. He turns his attention back to him, pulling out a cloth and wiping at the blood, "Just hang in there. We gotta get you back to that pretty little officer of yours." 

\-----------------------

She feels the others shuffle in behind her, she can't tell who they are yet, though. "You wanted to see us, sir?" Bay's voice, the gruff tone gives it away. 

"We haven't heard back from the squad Commander Shrike sent out, yet. This was the last comm we intercepted:" She hears him press a button before the feed starts to play:

 _"No, make that four squads."_ _"Wait, there's five!"_

 _"Commander we should leave them,"_

_"We need to see how many are actually out here."_

_"Kyr, Splash, you're with me. Dash, you're with Ven. Split up and flank them,"_

_"_ _Clones! Open fire!"_

"Something is jamming their comms. We can only assume the worst." The Major says, she can hear the false sympathy in his voice, she can only imagine the look on his face. 

"Sargent Sage, how many speeders were you able to repair?" She asks, hoping he's one of the ones behind her. 

"Six, I believe, sir." He responds. 

Static comes from a piece of comm equipment in the corner, she manages to barely catch a few words, _"Injured" "Medic" "ARC trooper"_

The words fill her with dread, Ven could be injured, and out in the jungle, "Sage get some of your squad to move out, Flap, Enlo, Smidge, Worm, and Pep. I'm coming with you." She decides. 

"You can't go out there, you're blind!" The Major insists. 

"I am in charge of this platoon and I can only hope that my second in command isn't out there injured and dying. I made a promise, forty men hit the ground, forty come back. I won't break that promise." She tells him. 

Major Olden is silent for a moment, "Why would you risk your life for them, they're just-" He trails off. 

\---------------------------

He wishes he could punch the look off of Major Olden's face, the man looks over the three of them like they're nothing more than doormats. 

Bay growls next to him, he has to place a hand on the small of his back to remind him not to overreact. 

"Why would you risk your life for them, they're just-" Major Olden trails off. 

Cerez reaches up and pulls the bandages over her eyes down, letting them hang around her neck. Her dead eyes are eerie in the blue glow as she makes her way around the holo table, "No, finish your thought Major." Her voice has gone dark, "They're just what? Hmm?" False innocence fills her tone as she tilts her head, it makes him shiver. 

"Excuse me, Lieutenant?" The Major tries to reprimand, "Who do you think you are? I am your superior officer."

"Oh, so you weren't going to say they're just clones, then? What were you going to say instead?" She stalks closer. 

"I- I..." The man stutters. 

"That's what I thought." She turns to Sage and the others, "Get your men ready. We move out as soon as we can." She ties her bandages back into place. 

"I'm coming with you," Clove speaks up, "Leave Smidge behind, he can handle the med tent. Just in case Ven is hurt." 

She nods, "Okay. Let's get moving." 

\-----------------------------

It's getting harder and harder to stay awake, his head swims and his face feels numb, his breath rattles in his chest, his eyelids flutter and Commander Turk nudges him, "Hey, hey! Stay awake for me! We got word that you're boys are on their way." He tells Ven. 

Ven coughs weakly, this mission was a disaster, Spooks was blind, Tyme couldn't use his arm and he was dying. Sage would probably be promoted after he's gone, he works the best with Spooks. Enlo or Worm would become the squad's new Sargent. They would be down a man after that. 

"How is he?" A faraway voice asks. 

"Not good, how far out are they?" Commander Turk asks. 

"Not far. Should be here any second." The voice tells him. 

He tries to look around but his head just rolls around, his eyes close only for him to be shaken again, "Tired," He wheezes. 

"I know but you can't go to sleep, your officer is coming to get you," Turk tells him. 

"Not m'officer," He slurs.

"I saw you two out in the rain earlier." Turk laughs. "She's yours." 

There's a new noise, a mechanical hum. Speeders, "See, told ya they would be here soon." Turk smiles at him. 

\----------------------------

Turk stands from in front of the injured ARC to address the squad, "Lieutenant, nice to see you again." 

"I wish I could see you, Commander." She tells him.

The clone she was riding behind helps her to him, "Sir." He addresses him. 

Their medic hops off his speeder and drops in front of Ven. 

"How is he?" She asks. 

"Fighting consciousness. He was thrown from his speeder. The impact must have knocked something loose inside of his chest." Turk explains. 

"Lovely imagery, sir." She crosses her arms and turns in the direction of her squad, "Were the droids headed for the base?" She asks. 

"Hard to say, they didn't have tanks with them but they did have B1s, B2s, and Commandos. It could have been part of an attack force." He explains.

The medic transfers Ven to a hover gurney, "You should get going, we'll find our way back to the base." He tells her. 

She nods, "Thank you for not letting him die, Commander." The woman reaches out, touching his pauldron, "It means a lot to us." She gestures to the rest of the squad. 

One of her men links his arm through his and drags her over to Ven, she takes his hand and takes off his glove, she whispers something to him. Not his officer, his ass.

\-------------------------------

Ven reaches for her, now that he's laying down his head feels a bit clearer. "Spooks," He wheezes. 

She wrestles off his wet glove and takes his hand in hers after she tucks it into her belt, "Shh. It's alright. Save your strength." Her fingers are warm even in the rain. 

"Worm, give me a sec with him please." She asks. Worm walks away and she shifts her hand up to his face, her thumb stroking over his stubbled cheek, "You had us worried, Lieutenant. Had me worried." She tells him. "Let's get you fixed up and off this miserable planet, alright?" 

He nods, his brain sluggishly not realizing she was still blind.

She smiles, "Good. Get 'im outta here, Clove. We'll see you back at base." Her hand leaves his face as she steps back, he wants to reach for her again but he doesn't have the strength. 

\--------------------------------

"You were being awfully touchy with Ven back there," Sage shouts over the wind and rain. 

"It's easier to gauge someone's emotions when you can feel their face!" She shouts back. 

"Whatever you say, LT!" He laughs. 

She doesn't tell him just how worried she is for Ven. She knew they were keeping his actual condition from her, his hand was freezing and clammy. She wondered just how pale he was from blood loss, and how long he had been trying to stay awake. Internal injuries were no joke. 

She clutches harder onto Sage as the rain picks up.

\--------------------------------

"OW!" She cries out when the medic smacks the side of her head. 

"Hey, sometimes it works." He says. 

If she could glare at him she would, "You don't think I haven't tried that already?" She asks. 

Pep snorts before he catches his laugh with a cough. "You're on thin ice there, buddy." She growls at him. 

"Stay put, I'm going to go grab the doctor." The medic announces. 

Pep clears his throat, "I'm going to try to get an update on Lt. Ven. I'll be right back." 

When the door swishes shut behind him it leaves her in a silence that makes her ears ring. A wave of pain hits her, suffering, and anxiety. There's so much of it at these med stations. It feels like it's trying to smother her, she takes a few shuddering breaths, curling in on herself. She pulls her knees to her chest and _pushes_ back on the encroaching pain. 

"Lieutenant! I'm Dr. Cos." A woman's voice causes her to almost jump out of her skin. "Oh sorry. Didn't mean to spook ya." She chuckles. "So, what seems to be the problem?" 

"An EMP weapon took out my eyes." She mutters, she slowly unfolds, letting her legs dangle off the edge of the table. "Also took out one of my Sargent's arm. How is Tyme?" She asks. 

"What's his CT number?" The woman asks, she can hear her tapping away at a datapad. 

"Um, forty-eight, thirty-eight. I think. His name is Tyme." She tells her.

"Well since you are his CO, I can tell you that his arm was taken care of and he was discharged. I don't know where he went after that, though. Now, let's worry about you, my dear. Your men will survive without you until we can get those eyes back online. I'm going to remove the bandages and see what I'm working with okay?" She can hear her shuffling around, opening a drawer and pulling something out. "How long have you had this pair?" She asks. 

"A couple of years? After I graduated from the Academy they replaced them with a better model," Cerez explains. 

"Alright, here come my hands." The doctor warns before she unwraps the bandages. She clicks something, "Alright, a bright light. Let me know if you can see anything at all." Cerez assumes she waves the light in front of her face, "Anything at all? Even if it's just a little."

"I don't see anything, sorry." Cerez shrugs. 

Dr. Cos sighs, "That's okay. Let me get one of my cybernetics engineers in here to take a look, we may have to reprogram them. I'll be right back. Stay put." 

"Not going anywhere," She mumbles. 

The door opens, "Oh, there's a trooper out here. Plant tattoo?" 

"Sage. Send him in." She tells her. 

"Hey, LT." Sage is quieter than normal. It makes her nervous. 

"Everything okay? How's Ven?" She asks. 

"Lavender's okay. He's out of surgery and going into a bacta tank." She knows it's bad when Sage uses Ven's full name. 

"Sage, stop that. Give it to me straight." Her voice is firm but there's still a tenderness behind it. 

"They had to put him back together, broken ribs, a punctured lung, fluid in places that I can't even begin to pronounce." She hears his backplate hit the wall before he slides down the wall. 

She hops down off the table and feels for him, he reaches out and grabs her hand, gently guiding her to sit with him, he doesn't let go of her hand, "He'll be okay." She tells him. 

"How do you know?" He asks tiredly. 

"I don't know. I just do." She smiles at him, gently running her thumb over the back of his hand. 

She almost starts when Sage's head meets her shoulder, "What's going on with your eyes?" He asks.

It's her turn to sigh, "They may need to be reprogrammed. Not a big deal but it's certainly a pain. The doc is getting her cybernetics engineer involved now. You should have seen what the medic did," She laughs a little, "Just slapped me upside the head like he could rattle them back to life." Sage giggles, "After that, he walked out, didn't even give me a chance to hit 'im back." Sage laughs, an actual full-bodied laugh and she smiles, this was the Sage she knows, laughing and joking like the galaxy isn't falling apart around them. 

The door opens, "Lt. Cerez?" A male voice asks. 

She slowly stands, "That's me, sir." 

"I'm Dr. Shols, the cybernetics engineer for this med station." He guides her back to the table where she sits, "Now I'm going to try something. Okay?" 

She nods waiting patiently. 

"Alright. Here goes." He tells her before he slaps the back of her head. 

She swears Sage loses it, howling with laughter. 

"Dr., the medic already tried that," She deadpans. 

"Smart man. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't." She bets he's shrugging. "I brought along some stuff with me to try. Is that alright?" He asks. 

"Of course." She turns her head in Sage's direction, "He's going to be poking at my eyes, are you okay with seeing that?" She asks.

"When Clove was training I used to sit in lab with him when he was studying. I'm good." He tells her. 

Dr. Shols claps his hands together. "Alright, let's get started." 

\----------------------

Voices, he can hear muffled voices and drags himself towards them. He pries his eyes open, fighting against the bright lights. "Welcome to the land of the living." A voice mocks. 

He groans, coughing a bit, his chest burns as he takes a breath. He rolls his head to see his batchmate sitting in a chair next to his bed, both arms crossed behind his head, the durasteel shines in the light. "Tyme," His voice is rough, and he coughs again. 

Tyme stands, grabbing a glass with a straw in it putting it to his lips, "Drink." The cold water feels amazing against his raw throat, "There you go. You're a pain in the ass. I hope you know that." Ven glares at him, "You almost died, you had Sage worried sick. He went and sat with Cerez while they fixed her eyes, you know how much he hates med bay." 

Cerez needed her eyes fixed? Why? His brain sluggishly tries to catch up, "Is she okay?" He asks. 

"Yeah, she's fine. They got her taken care of." Tyme tells him. 

He nods, his eyelids fluttering as he fights sleep, "Thas'good." he slurs.

"Go to sleep." Tyme orders before everything drifts off again. 

\----------------------

When his eyes open again everything is clearer, the muffled voices are gone and his brain doesn't feel like it's trying to crawl out of his head. 

He looks over to see Cerez looking at a datapad, her field uniform is disgusting, she's still covered in mud, the bandages she wore around her eyes still hang around her neck, she looks up and her cybernetics focus on him, "I was doing our reports. Figured you didn't want to wake up alone, I sent everyone back to the cruiser already. Everyone was discharged and they're going to be fine. Forty men hit the dirt and forty stepped back onto the cruiser. Our mission was successful." She tells him, "They said you were fine to be discharged as well, the CMO just needs to look over your latest test results." 

He swallows and blinks slowly, trying to take in all of the information. She most notice his discomfort and picks up the glass of water off of the bedside and offers it to him, he takes a small sip through the straw, "Sorry, that may have been too much at once. I got everything taken care of." She looks down at her boots, almost like she's regretting everything she said. She sits back down and looks at her datapad. 

"They fixed your eyes." He observes.

She touches the scarring at the edges of her temple, "Yes. They did. It didn't take very much. They just needed to reboot the interface and make sure everything was connected to the optic nerve." She laughs to herself, looking at her lap, "Sage watched them do it. I'm surprised he didn't pass out." 

"Tyme's arm?" He asks, thinking of his batchmate. 

"He's good to go as well." She nods to him. 

He relaxes back into the pillow, his eyes slipping closed as he just breathes, letting himself relax for once. She took care of everything, the reports, his men, finishing the mission, gods everything. 

She stands, he can tell she's exhausted, there are dark circles under her eyes and she slouches, he notices his glove is still tucked into her belt, the one she took off to hold his hand, he wants to reach out again, maybe intertwine their fingers together, she was warm, its cold in here. "I'll uh," She blinks several times, "I'll leave you be. I'll go finish reports and..." She trails off, turning away from him. 

"Stay!" He blurts, "I mean you-you can stay if you want. I don't mind." 

She looks down at his hand wrapped around her wrist, he must have grabbed it. She just stares at it with wide eyes. 

"Just- don't go. Stay," He repeats. 

She slowly lowers herself back into the chair, her eyes never leaving her wrist, he would say she almost looks scared, like she's never really been touched before and isn't used to the contact. She swallows, it's obvious that she's nervous. He finally pries his fingers from her wrist once he knows she isn't going to rush off. 

The curtain flies open, "ARC-4753?" The officer asks. 

"Yes, sir," Ven replies coldly. 

"You are being discharged. No training for two weeks, keep the physical activity to a minimum, no upper plates, especially the pauldrons, for two weeks as well." The medical officer rattles off, no upper plates, that's practically naked, "If anything gets worse find a medbay, chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, anything like that don't hesitate to go see a medic." The officer doesn't even look up from his datapad. "I have to remove your IV and cardiac stickers but after that, you'll be free to get dressed and leave." The medic moves to the side of the bed with practiced ease, snapping on a pair of gloves and gathering supplies to take out his IV. 

Ven eyes the medic nervously, medical procedures had never been his strong suit, it must run in his batch, all of them grow uneasy when they see the white medics uniform. 

He starts when a gentle touch slides across his hand, turning it over so his palm faces skyward before entwining their fingers. 

\---------------------------

Ven's eyes widen when the medic comes around his bedside, he swallows and ever so slightly shies away from the officer in white. She debates with herself for a moment before she sees his reaction when the guy snaps on his gloves, Ven almost flinches. 

She reaches out hesitantly, brushing her fingertips along his tan skin, the contrast between their skin tones striking. She gently flips his hand and slides her fingers across his palm, she looks at his reactions closely, making sure that she was still okay to do this. When she finally laces their fingers together he looks away from the medic to their clasped hands, "Just relax." She tells him softly. 

He looks between their hands and her face, his eyes bright. He doesn't even notice the medic when he pulls the tape off of his other hand, he hisses and squeezes her hand, she runs her thumb over the back of his hand to soothe him, he relaxes almost instantly. 

The medic reaches over and yanks a cardiac sticker and he tenses, "Seriously?" Ven growls. 

The medic barely looks down at him, "The faster there off the faster you can leave." He deadpans while ripping two more off. 

When the medic is finished she lets go of his hand, standing again, "I'll let you get dressed. I'll meet you in the hangar, I will flag down a transport for us." She tells him before she turns and slips through the curtain. 

\------------------------------

The hangar is surprisingly calm as he makes his way through it towards Cerez. She stares off distantly as she leans against a crate. She shakes herself out of her head and straightens when he walks up to her. She gives him a nervous smile and moves to stand in the gunship taking them back to the cruiser. 

He wants to know why she always looks like someone just got done scolding her, why she doesn't like to look people in the eyes. She always looks on edge. 

He stands next to her, reaching for a handle as the ship lurches into the air, the doors closing and basking them in an eerie red glow. 

The woman doesn't speak as she reaches for the black and silver canister on the back of her belt, she moves so that she's sitting on a crate and fiddles with it, screwing and unscrewing the cap on it. It seemed to put her at ease whenever it was in her hands. In the dim lights, he sees her shake it near her ear, a slight frown on her face before she shrugs and continues to turn it in her hands. 

She attaches it back on her belt when the lights flicker back on letting them know that they were approaching the cruiser's hangar. She stands and moves beside him fluidly. It's odd, sometimes her movements are jerky and unsure, other times she moves with a practiced ease he's never seen before. 

When the ship lands with a jolt she looks over to him, "Let's do debrief tomorrow at 1300. That gives everyone enough time to relax and get some good rest, now if you'll excuse me, Lieutenant, I need a shower." 

He watches her disappear into the chaos, shaking his head, when he steps off the gunship Sage is there with a knowing smirk on his face, "Oh, _Vod._ You're fucked." 

Ven lets his eyes close with a sigh, yeah, yeah he was. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We like a little pining. Also, Ven is just a human disaster. 
> 
> The next part will be fun. I've been super excited about it.


End file.
